Coaches from the PhD Science team expertly guide educators to apply what they learn in Professional Development sessions to their own classrooms and schools. Through modeling, observation, and recommendations for customizing the curriculum, Great Minds® coaches help teachers improve implementation and help leaders develop effective ways to support, understand, and evaluate classroom practices.
All sessions are available in virtual and in-person formats unless otherwise noted. Prerequisites to purchasing coaching sessions or bundles include Launch PhD Science Levels K–5 and Lead Implementation for Administrators.
See how the formative Checks for Understanding assessment tool can help you monitor learning as well as guide instructional decisions and pacing.
| SESSIONS INCLUDED | TOTAL NUMBER OF EACH SESSION | NUMBER OF HOURS PER SESSION | MODE OF DELIVERY |
| Guided Observation for Leaders* | 4 | 6 | In Person |
| Deliver a Lesson Collaboratively** | 2 | 6+ | In Person |
| Classroom Management in a Student-Driven Classroom | 1 | 3 | Virtual |
| Pacing Strategies for a Student-Driven Classroom | 1 | 3 | Virtual |
*Includes observations of roughly 5 teachers per session
**Includes 2 lessons per session
| SESSIONS INCLUDED | TOTAL NUMBER OF SESSIONS | NUMBER OF HOURS PER SESSION | MODE OF DELIVERY |
| Step 1: Explore | 1 | 6 | Virtual |
| Step 2: Identify | 1 | 6 | Virtual |
| Step 3: Examine | 1 | 6 | Virtual |
| Step 4: Determine | 1 | 6 | Virtual |
| Step 5: Deepen | 1 | 6 | Virtual |
Each session consists of six 45-minute PLCs, with a maximum of 25 participants per PLC. The following are two examples of how a district could use this bundle:
To set educators up for success with PhD Science, our team of teacher–writers have created the three-year plan below integrating both PD and personalized coaching so all teachers can feel confident with the curriculum. Because we know that when teachers feel prepared and well-versed in the curriculum, students thrive.
| PD Workshop Sequence | Personalized Coaching Sequence |
|
SUMMER |
|
|
- Launch PhD Science Levels K–5 |
- Lead Implementation for Administrators |
| FALL | |
| - Focus on Instructional Techniques I |
- Classroom Management in a Student-Driven Classroom - Guided Observation for Leaders |
| SPRING | |
| - Module-Level Study |
- Pacing Strategies in a Student-Driven Classroom - Deliver a Lesson Collaboratively |
| PD Workshop Sequence | Personalized Coaching Sequence |
|
SUMMER OR FALL |
|
|
- Focus on Instructional Techniques II |
- Advancing Science Instruction with Collaborative Conversations - Guided Observation for Leaders |
| SPRING | |
| - Focus on Instructional Techniques III |
- Deliver a Lesson Collaboratively |
| PD Workshop Sequence | Personalized Coaching Sequence |
|
- Focus on Instructional Techniques IV - Grade Band Progression |
- Planning and Preparing by Using Checks for Understanding - Guided Observation for Leaders - Deliver a Lesson Collaboratively |